Elf
s in Elsa Beskow's Children of the Forest (1910). Notice that the Elves here are so light that eight of them aren't enough to match the weight of only two Nisses.]] Elves (singular: Elf) are a legendary species of magical humanoids originating from Germanic folklore and also present in Norse mythology. Traditionally, they have been well-known for their beauty, their magical skills, and frequently displayed ambivalence towards humans, as they can be benevolent, antagonistic or neutral. In the past, Elves have been accused of walking invisibly among humans, provoking illnesses and seducing people. At the same time, however, they seem to have been widely admired for their beauty and thought of as almost divine beings. Nowadays, Elves have become one of the most popular races featured in fantasy fiction, and may be portrayed as diminutive mischievous tricksters or human-sized recluses from the woods. The former kind has also attained popularity as the cheerful assistants of Santa Claus, which make up the workforce of his toy factory. In some works, the terms "Elf" and "Fairy" are used interchangeably, such as in William Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream. Types Norse mythology makes a distinction between Light Elves (Ljósálfar) and Dark Elves (Dökkálfar). The former seem to resonate more with the traditional Germanic Elves and have been described as being "fairer than the sun". The Light Elves dwell in the realm of Álfheimr, which is regarded as one of the Nine Worlds sprouting from the world tree Yggdrasil. The Dark Elves, as their name indicates, are dark-skinned subterranean dwellers and may in fact be just another name for the Dwarves, according to some scholars. The idea of referring to the subterranean Dwarves as "Dark Elves" wouldn't be out of place, given that they have indeed been referred to by the alternate name "Black Elves" (Svartálfar) in some sources. Modern portrayals In modern fantasy, Elves figure among the most commonly represented species and their portrayal is often inspired by J. R. R. Tolkien's. They tend to be depicted as a mythical, magical, noble and long-lived race, and often display some sort of rivalry with Dwarves. Alternatively, works aimed at children may prefer to represent them as small and friendly (although often mischievous), and they're most often associated with Santa Claus. Their size and appearance varies, but they have been consistently represented with pointed ears which set them apart from humans. Works featuring Elves Literature *''The Tempest'', by William Shakespeare (1610) *"The Elf Mound", by Hans Christian Andersen (1845) *"The Princess Nobody", by Andrew Lang (1884) *''Children of the Forest'', by Elsa Beskow (1910) *''The Hobbit'', by J. R. R. Tolkien (1937) *"The King of the Elves", by Philip K. Dick (1953) *''The Lord of the Rings'', by J. R. R. Tolkien (1954 - 55) *''The Father Christmas Letters'', by J. R. R. Tolkien (1976) *''The Silmarillion'', by J. R. R. Tolkien (1977) *''The Faery Convention'', by Brett Davis (1995) Films *''Ernest Saves Christmas'' *''Fred Claus'' *''The Great Santa Claus Switch'' *''Hellboy II: The Golden Army'' *''Legend'' *''Mickey's Twice Upon a Christmas'' *''The Nightmare Before Christmas'' *''Rise of the Guardians'' *''Santa Claus: The Movie'' *''The Santa Clause'' trilogy *''Santa Who?'' *''Scooby-Doo! and the Goblin King'' *''Strange Magic'' TV series *''American Dragon: Jake Long'' *''The Grim Adventures of Billy & Mandy'' *''Timon and Pumbaa'' *''Johnny Bravo'' *''Pinky and the Brain *''Sofia the First'' *''The Super Mario Bros. Super Show!'' Video games *''God of War'' series *''Everquest'' Gallery ElfRing-KateGreenaway.jpg|''The Elf Ring'', by Kate Greenaway. Elf (Destination Truth).png|''Destination Truth'' Elves-ErnestSavesChristmas.jpg|''Ernest Saves Christmas'' Elves-HellboyII.jpg|''Hellboy II: The Golden Army'' Elves-Hilda2.jpg|''Hilda'' Elves-TheHobbit1977.jpg|''The Hobbit'', animated. Elves-TheHobbit.jpg|''The Hobbit'', live action. Elf-MyLittlePony.jpg|''My Little Pony'' Elf-PinkyAndTheBrain.jpg|''Pinky and the Brain'' Elves-Rocko'sModernChristmas.jpg|''Rocko's Modern Life'' Elves-SantaClausTheMovie.jpg|''Santa Claus: The Movie'' Elf-ScoobyDooAndTheGoblinKing.jpg|''Scooby-Doo! and the Goblin King'' Elves-TheSmurfs.jpg|''The Smurfs'' Elf-TimonAndPumbaa.jpg|''Timon and Pumbaa'' Elves-TheSuperMarioBrosSuperShow.jpeg|''The Super Mario Bros. Super Show!'' Elves-RiseOfTheGuardians.jpeg|''Rise of the Guardians'' See also Creatures related to Elves. Legendary *Alp *Dwarf *Erlking *Fairy Fictional *Avalonian (Kid Stuff) *Child of the Forest *Elf (Hilda) *House-elf *Hylian Category:Legendary Creatures Category:Sentient Beings Category:Sapient Beings Category:Humanoids Category:Paranormal Beings Category:Magical Creatures Category:Invisible Creatures Category:Forest Creatures Category:Bipedal Creatures Category:Variable Aggressivity Category:DD Category:Literary Creatures Category:Comic Book Creatures Category:TV Show Creatures Category:Movie Creatures Category:Video Game Creatures Category:Animated Creatures Category:Live Action Creatures Category:Destination Truth Universe Category:Dungeons & Dragons Universe Category:Face Off Universe Category:The Faery Convention Universe Category:God of War Universe Category:Hellboy Universe Category:J. R. R. 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